Quartas Laminis
by Chewbaxter
Summary: On the Planet of Umbara, General Pong Krell has a vision of the future for the Republic. The clone troopers attempt to kill him, but he escapes, seeking out Count Dooku to become his apprentice. This is what follows. This is an Idea I had a while ago and finally wrote it down. it was meant to be a one-shot, but I've turned it into chapters to help me out. Expect updates to be slow
1. Chapter 1

Umbara. 21 BBY

Pong Krell sat in his quarters meditating. The same vision kept flashing before his closed eyes; the Republic crumbling from the inside, and an empire forming in its place. The Jedi, the clones, gone. Only those strong enough to fight would survive. He opened his eyes. Krell knew his new destiny.

He had been stuck on the shadow planet of Umbara for too long while the Knight Skywalker was absent. His task was to assist the clones against the Separatists.

Which was an utterly ridiculous plan.

Krell stood up at last, and started to pace. His loyalty for the republic had shifted soon after the clones had been given to them. He believed that they were inferior in every way, just the same man created from a test tube. Krell wished that Count Dooku would acknowledge him, and make him his disciple. He had seen the future, and it was one without the Jedi or Republic. The question was, what should he do? He had already used the clones to his advantage and made the Separatists win the day, but these clones, they were smarter than most. It was only a matter of time before they figured out his game, and would try to arrest him

'The key word is _TRY.'_ Krell thought to himself. 'I'm perfectly capable of killing them all before they even figure it out, but I'd have to be stealthy.' With the dark thought over, he heard the door to his quarters open. Multiple clones had entered the room.

'General Krell, you're being relieved of duty.' Said the clone last to enter. Krell turned slowly, forming a smile on his lips.

'It's Treason, then.' He shot back at the captain clone. He had his hands behind his back, but was ready to ignite his two sabre-staffs. At the moment of attack, all of these men would die, one way or another.

'Surrender, General.'

'You're committing mutiny Captain.' Krell gloated.

The captain walked forward with two others backing him. 'Explain your actions'

'MY actions?' he replied, pretending he didn't know what he was talking about.

'For ordering your troops against one another!' The captain fired back, obviously upset about it.

'Oh, that. I'm surprised you managed to figure it out, for a clone.' Krell replied sharply. He knew that these troopers were smart, but not this smart. He needed a way out, and fast. Anyone who got in his way would be killed, no thoughts about it.

The other troopers started to move in on him, shifting closer and closer to where he was standing.

'Surrender General, you're out numbered!' The captain repeated.

Krell couldn't hold his rage in. He moved quickly and summoned the force to push back the troopers surrounding him.

'You dare attack a Jedi?' He yelled, drawing his two double bladed light-sabres, one blue, one green. 'This was it, no holding back' Krell thought to himself, as the troopers opened fire on him and he started to spin the four blades in motion, deflecting the blasts. The blasts that he couldn't deflect, he dodged instead, moving around and cutting the troopers around him down. One trooper was stupid enough to walk up to him, and without thinking Krell sliced him across the stomach, making him fall to the floor. Krell span his two blades around one last time, the humming noises creating an eerie echo in the room.

'I will not be undermined by creatures bread in some laboratory!' Krell stated loudly, before running to the closest window and smashing through it with a powerful spin-flip, and landing outside of the tower with ease. All he needed to do now was run. There were troopers in his way, ordering each other to blast the Jedi, but Krell cut through them with ease and ran into the forest, climbing up into a tree, sheathed his light-sabres and began to swing from the branches. His plan was clear now. Find the CIS headquarters and Count Dooku, then prove himself to the Sith and become his new apprentice. In the distance he could hear the troopers bickering over they should chase him down or not. The Besalisk smiled to himself. If they did go after him, they wouldn't be spared. His days as a Jedi were done. The Sith was the new way forward, and he would slaughter anyone who would get in the way of his new destiny.

After 15 minutes of swing on branches, Krell finally landed on the ground. He had travelled far enough to go on foot. The troopers wouldn't go so far to search for a traitor, and would probably call him a lost cause. Even if they reported Krell's betrayal, he doubted the council would be surprised. His tactics were known throughout the whole Jedi temple, and were said to be extreme. He was assigned to this planet as a last resort, because nobody else was available at the time. Pitiful.

Krell journeyed through the territory of Umbara for many hours before he spotted a CIS droid patrol. Keeping his distance, he followed the patrol until they returned to their headquarters. After he scouted the building, the Besalisk climbed the building silently, predicting that Dooku would be at the top floor. The climb was easy, since his four arms gave him extra grip on the ledges of the large building. Krell reached the top of the tower in four minutes, on a side with no entrance. He drew one of his light-sabres, activated one end of it and cut a small hole through the wall. He was in the ventilation system, and could hear three voices, but only recognised two of them. One was raspy and ill, and sounded like he was pacing with metal claws on his feet. The other was old and wise; Dooku and General Grievous. The final voice was static-esc and hard to hear, meaning he was on a holo-communicator. Krell moved silently and eaves-dropped their conversation.

'So they fired on one another? That is hilarious!' Grievous said, most likely after hearing the story of the battle from the day before.

'Yes, it is. I have a feeling that the Jedi in charge of them is not as pure as others you and I have met. Perhaps the one you have had your eyes on master?' Dooku replied. Who was this master he spoke of, Krell thought to himself. He thought that he was the only true Sith, but if there was one above Dooku, then his journey did not end at him.

'Skywalker left the planet for another mission Tyranus, he could not have given those orders.' Dooku's master replied blandly. Whoever he was, he knew of Skywalker and his potential in the Force. 'I believe the Jedi who took his place was Master Pong Krell. A Besalisk who was an apprentice when you left the order, correct?'

'Yes, Master. I briefly remember him. If he was the one who gave those orders, perhaps he could be persuaded to join our cause?' Dooku asked his master, a sense of personal thought in the question.

'Do not think I will fall for that again, Tyranus. You have failed me once already with the Dathomirian Ventress. Continue to train Grievous, and leave the Jedi to me. If he is still alive that is.' The Master fired back at Dooku coldly. Krell smiled with the knowledge that Asajj Ventress was no longer a threat. The first chance he got he would challenge her to the death, and prove himself worthy.

'As you wish, my Master. I am at your will.' Dooku finished, and the holo-projector faded out. Grievous was the next to speak. 'Why does he persist in MY training, when it is clearly you who needs to be trained?' The general mocked his colleague, finishing with a heavy laugh that then went into a cough.

'Don't be so sure, general. I have had years of training and experience with a light-sabre and the force. You only wield one of those talents, and while your skill has improved over the years, it is nowhere as refined as my skill.' Dooku retorted. Krell could taste the slyness of the Sith's smile. Grievous yelled with a "bah" and stomped out of the room, another coughing fit going off in the distance. As the door to the room closed, Dooku's voice rang out:

'I know you are here, Jedi. I sensed you enter through the wall and crawl through the vents.'

Krell smashed the ventilation that he was hiding in and dropped to the floor of the conference room. The holo-projector was a large disk on a former dining table, which had been turned into a map of the battle ground for Umbara. Krell looked at Dooku to see that he was somewhat amused. If he had sensed him enter, then that means he had a plan for him once his conversation with his master was over.

'Tell me Jedi, why have you come to me? Are you here to kill me? Or do you have something that you wish of me?' He said, smiling, but gripping his curved light-sabre hilt in case of attack. Krell smiled back and put two of his arms up in a surrendering motion.

'I am here to ask for an apprenticeship.' Krell answered.

'An apprenticeship?'

'My visions have shown me things. The republic is crumbling inside of itself. Soon the Jedi will become extinct, and a new power will grow in their place. I have no desire to die with them, but be with the victors. This is my destiny.' Krell explained to the former Jedi. Dooku stood in front of him, his face interested and yet suspicious.

'And why should I make you my apprentice? There are other Jedi just as eager as you to become a disciple of mine, and yet you are the first to come forward so…' he paused, thinking of the right words.

'Expectant.' He finished. Krell stood where he was, awaiting the Sith's next words.

'How can I prove that I am worthy over all the others?' He asked Dooku. The Sith started to pace, actually beginning to think of what to do. Krell could feel Dooku's mind working, thinking of the both the advantages and disadvantages of him as an accomplice. He paused, paced a little longer, paused again and then faced Krell to answer:

'You want to prove yourself? Eliminate Asajj Ventress. Find her and cut her down for good. Only return when you have done so, and bring me her light-sabres as proof.' Dooku ordered finally.

'And in return?' Krell asked Dooku, cracking a foul smile in joy of what he had just heard.

'You will become her replacement. I last heard that she was in the depths of Coruscant, working as a bounty hunter. She'll be easy to find as she carries two light-sabres like mine; the curved sort.' The former Jedi concluded. 'There will also be pay for you if you bring the blades back undamaged.'

'And how shall I get to Coruscant? My ship is back at the Republic base and will most likely be followed if I call my droid to fly it over to here.' Krell questioned.

'General Grievous acquired a ship known as _The Twelve Point_ from a group of smugglers trying to steal from him. He has neglected to actually use the ship however, and just has it as an extra prize for him to "cherish". Take it to Coruscant and if you like it, keep it. When you return my droids will recognise you as a protégé, but until then you may attack any droid that attempts to stop you.' Dooku told him. 'And remember, you are not to return until I can feel the death of Ventress across the Galaxy.' Krell nodded and jumped back up into the pipe system, beginning to crawl down to a lower level of the building to find the ship Dooku spoke of. After sliding down about three floors, he stopped himself and looked through a vent that was just opposite him. He was on a hanger floor.

"Good." Krell thought to himself. "Now I have to find that ship." Krell kicked the vent, rolled out and ignited his light-sabres cutting down three droids before they even knew what was happening. A droid guarding _The Twelve Point_ turned and called over others, shouting orders in its metallic voice.

'Open fire! Blast the Jedi!' it said as it and five other droids started shooting at Krell. Cracking his neck, he turned and charged, blocking the poorly aimed shots and reflecting them back, taking down two of the six. By the time his charge was finished, he was at the final four, and cut them all down with one sweep of both of his wielding arms, and then sheathed the four blades. As he placed the handles on his belt, another set of droids entered the hanger. Krell simply pushed them back with his force power and walked in his new ship, closing the door behind him. Within seconds, the ship's engines had ignited and was getting ready to launch. Krell sat on the pilot's seat, two of his hands on the steering, the other two setting up the jump to hyperspace. His next stop was the depths of Coruscant. _The Twelve Point_ Lifted off the floor of the hangar and floated out, rising to the sky and soon after out of the planet. Rising out of the atmosphere, he saw the Republic's star ships appearing out of hyperspace. Most likely coming to pick up the Captain and his troops after their failed mission and Krell's betrayal.

'Good riddance. Soon you will all be mine to command.' He thought to himself as he pulled the lever down and _The Twelve Point_ began its jump to Coruscant. The journey to his destiny had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

Coruscant. 21 BBY

 _The Twelve Point_ landed on a docking station close to the Jedi temple, due to Krell's force of habit. Realizing this in the last moments before the ship landed, the Besalisk made a quick plan to prepare himself for his dubbing after Ventress was killed. Leaving his new ship with a cloak around him, the former Jedi silently entered the temple for what he hoped was the last time. His plan was to change the crystals of his light-sabres from blue and green to different colours that were less Jedi-esc. He knew of the Jedi Sentinels and their yellow sabres, and he knew that there were spare purple crystals in Temple's locked safes. All he needed was a way to get two of each without being caught. Walking down to the archives, he noticed two sentinels walking on a level above, guarding the fallen Jedi's light-sabres.

 _'They will do nicely.'_ He thought to himself as he continued to walk through the ground floor. As he neared the lifts he nodded to three other Jedi in robes, most likely padawns studying for their knighting exam. They knew nothing of his betrayal and growing hatred for the Jedi, and doubted they ever would. Krell pushed the button to call the elevator, trying not to look suspicious. As the doors opened, he sensed some kind of danger nearby. Not an enemy, an object. Whatever it was, it had been placed by a Jedi who also doubted the Republic. If he wasn't already on his own mission, he would assist this fellow traitor and take them to Dooku as another member for his cause. _'No,'_ he thought as the lift took him up a floor and he exited and made his way to the two sentinels. _'Whoever this Jedi is it would be a mistake to take him or her with him. They would become a rival instead of a partner and most likely a strong one. I will make my destiny on my own, without distractions like that to cloud me._ '

Krell passed the two sentinels as he was thinking this and turned into another room to plan his attack. He took a book from a shelf, opened it and began to read it as if he were looking something up. He exited the room and continued his path around, looping back to the sentinels. As he passed them a second time, Krell smiled and dropped the book, turning and pushing them back with the force. The guards flew back, caught off guard by Krell's sudden attack. Before they could even get up and react properly, Krell had already drawn his light-sabres and had thrown them like javelins into their bodies. Krell turned his head around until it clicked while he took his blades out of the guard's bodies and their own light-sabres.

'Two down, two to go.' He mumbled as he opened the door the two men were previously guarding. The Besalisk wondered the halls of the fallen Jedi from the current war to wars that they had fought in the past. He needed to find a light-sabre with a purple blade, a rare thing in the Jedi temple these days as Mace Windu was the only current carrier of such a thing, and he was the next in line after Grandmaster Yoda. Krell shuddered at the thought of facing Windu, even though he was much stronger than him, he knew that he would not come out victorious. He wandered the halls for a while until he found two sabre hilts on a shelf to his left. The plaque under the hilts read:

" _Jedi Masters Rose and Thorn. Fought against the powerful Darth Kroenen during the war of the Old Republic. When Rose was slain, Thorn carried his brother's blade until his own death a year later. The force is now forever with them."_

Krell scoffed. He had studied the one known as Darth Kroenen closely during his padawan days and pitied those who lived at the time of his rule. He knew that Masters Rose and Thorn were brothers and had trained Kroenen as a boy, but when he lost two of his loved ones to the same man, his days as a Jedi were numbered. Killing the murderer of his loved ones, he soon met an old Sith in the depths of Coruscant, and fell to the dark side. He was dubbed the title Darth Kroenen and was ordered to collect his things at the temple and meet him at his ship. The student ran into his other master, Joseph Mantis, and sensing something was wrong, they began to duel. The dual ended with Kroenen's hand being cut off, and his new master fighting off the Jedi while escaping. Kroenen returned two years later, killing Rose and claiming Mantis' hand as revenge. He also took The Rose Holocron, and unlocked secrets that drove the former Jedi mad. It was said that those secrets led to his downfall, as only half a year later, he was slain by his Apprentice, Darth Wisp.

Krell had been told this story by his masters, as a warning to never become too attached to a person, because of the risk of losing them. He remembered it like it was yesterday it was told to him, because it was one of the only tales of the Old Republic he enjoyed. He also knew that Darth Wisp was killed by a Jedi known as Token Chain, and he brought the Sith's light-sabre to this room to keep away from the touch of any other Sith.

Krell snatched the former Sith's light-sabre from the end of the shelf, with the plaque under saying:

 _"Captured Sith blade. Do not remove."_

The moment he pocketed the blade hilt, he heard two Jedi Sentinels discovering the bodies of their colleagues. Krell needed an escape route, and fast. Searching for a place to hide, he could hear the guards entering the archives, igniting their light-sabres for protection. Krell climbed up a wall in the shadows silently to get a better view of them and frowned at what he saw.

There were four of them, all sentinels, all of their blades drawn out. They were looking in all directions, down all of the corridors and up the walls. They also had clones guarding the front door, so if Krell attacked, they could just blast and kill him within seconds. He was trapped.

'Damn.' He said under his breath, moving slowly trying not to be detected. He had a few options, but all of them involved him getting caught, and if he left anyone alive the Jedi would know about his betrayal. He knew his priority was to take out the clones first. With them gone he could just walk out, but he doubted it was going to be that simple. Krell jumped down and rolled on the floor of the darkened room, keeping to the shadows and creeping towards the two clones. He grasped his left light-sabre and ignited at the last second, stabbing the right guard through the chest and gripping the other's neck in his empty hand. Krell smashed the troopers head against the wall multiple times, before taking off the helmet and snapping the soldier's neck, leaving the limp body on the floor. Before Krell could react, two sentinels charged at him with their light-sabres lit. Retracting his left blade out of the first trooper he attacked, Krell blocked one of the sentinel's blades, igniting the other end and his other blades.

The two sentinels fought well, jumping and dodging Krell's swings, grinning childishly at him and attacking back in the same way. It seemed that they had trained together and knew how to fight together, Krell thought while jumping back to rethink his strategy.

 _"Break their rhythm, and you'll break them."_ He finished as he leaped back into the action, concentrating on cornering the weaker sentinel. He held his sabre-staff up high, his right blade swinging down on Krell from above, his co-worker swinging in on his left side. Krell spun his blades around just in time, blocking both their attacks and pushing them in opposite directions with the force. The two men were pushed back, the weaker one hitting a wall and dropping his sabre-staff. Krell smirked at the Jedi and leaped at him, his two blades stabbing into his body, killing him instantly.

'No!' The fallen Jedi's partner screamed, pulling his sabre-staff to him with the force and igniting one end of it, with his blade the same. 'You think you're fooling me with your cloak and hood Master Krell?' The Jedi said pacing with Krell. He wasn't surprised, as he was the only Jedi able to carry two sabre-staffs and still use the force. He had given it away as soon as they had seen him.

'Well?' The Jedi asked again.

'I think you're a fool if you can't see what's coming.' Krell said back at him. He looked at him in confusion. 'Can't see what?' He said back, a worried tone in his voice. Krell laughed.

'Soon this place will be nothing but ruins. I have foreseen it. The Jedi are doomed to destroy themselves and I will be there to see it happen!' Krell yelled, before jumping on his opponent swung his blades at him from above. The Jedi cried out, blocking both of his blades with his own and swinging back. The two fought elegantly, Krell jumping and spinning both of his blades round at speed with the Jedi blocking and parrying almost with ease.

'I have fought General Grievous and survived, traitor, I may not have your skill, but I'm damn sure that I can match it with my own!' He yelled at the Besalisk, before igniting the other end of his dead friend's blade and cut at Krell's stomach. It wasn't enough though, and Krell used this attack to his advantage to force push him against the wall, and keep him there by choking him. The Jedi tensed up, unable to move because of Krell's strong Force power. Krell sheathed his blades and concentrated on choking his opponent, moving his blades away from him so he couldn't fight back. He walked towards him, holding out the hand that was choking the Jedi with the Force. He loosened his grip slightly when he was in front of him and knelt down to his level, and smiled in a way that made the young Jedi cringe.

'I don't give a damn if you've fought General Grievous or Master Yoda, because at the end the war, this temple will be up in flames, and I will be holding the torch. If you think that I'm going to kill you now, you'd be wrong. I'm going to make sure that the council know that they brought this upon themselves. I want them to know that they helped me start my true destiny, and that those clones they put me in charge of, triggered it.' Krell whispered in the boy's ear. 'And finally…' he pulled back, grasping the top of his head,

'I want them to know that one day, I will come back here to finish what I started!' he shouted before hitting the young Jedi's head against the wall, knocking him out. Krell then ran for the exit, not caring if he was seen by the other guards, who were obviously hard of hearing if they couldn't hear the duel that had just taken place. He had what he needed, now he just had to find his target.

…

Asajj Ventress walked the underworld of Coruscant in a cloak and her new helmet, avoiding the attention of the homeless scum. She had been looking for a job for a long time, and had finally got a contact that was good enough to trust for now. She needed more credits if she was ever going to get of the planet and take revenge on her former master, Dooku. Hunting bounties wasn't always fun, but it beat doing dirty work for the old man. Then there was Grievous that damned Kaleesh. Ventress had made a mental note to finish what she started with him once Dooku was dead. She had fought him with two and four light-sabres before and had survived, so she knew his style. It was just a matter of force power. She needed to master her skill in the force and prove herself to Darth Sidious, maybe when she killed both Dooku and Grievous, the Dark Lord would take her as his next apprentice and treat her as an equal instead of a lackey. Perhaps she would even end the war, and finally defeat Skywalker and Kenobi.

Ventress continued to walk down the street, noticing the obvious lack of gang members and dealers around. She felt like someone was watching her from a distance, but didn't recognise who or what. Whoever it was, she didn't care; besides she had her light-sabres and could kill them without stress if they attacked. She kept walking down the silent street, with the occasional ship flying above her. She felt a wind from a nearby vent and panicked for second, gripping one of her light-sabres and igniting it at the vent. She grumbled and sheathed it, but before she could place it back on her belt, she heard someone laugh. It wasn't a pleasant laugh as well, it was the kind of laugh that sent shivers down the spines of the toughest in the galaxy. Ventress ignited her light-sabre again, taking her usual battle stance.

'Whoever you are, you're making a huge mistake.' She called out into the darkness surrounding her. The laughter came again, but closer. Ventress moved around, using her blade as a light source in the dark areas. 'Show yourself coward!' She shouted again, force pushing boxes with her free hand to see if her follower was hiding behind them. She swore under her breath as the laugh went off again, even closer than before. Then she heard it. The humming sound of light-sabres, blades that Ventress had never heard before. They were above her, getting closer. Before Ventress could even think about it, her new opponent landed in front of her. She drew her second light-sabre from her belt and ignited it, crossing the first blade over with it in a guarding position.

'Who are you? A Jedi sent here to kill me?' Ventress asked her hooded attacker.

'Of sorts' He replied. 'I'm here to kill you, but I am no Jedi.' The man said. His voice was bold and deep, like Dooku's when he gave commands. Ventress hid her fear and stood up straight.

'So, Dooku has a new lackey. Are you here to rid of the competition? Because I'm out of that business' She said as they both started to circle around the empty street. 'Tell Dooku that I have nothing that he wants. My days in the war are done!'

'Then why do you plot his murder?' The man said as he circled in rhythm with Ventress. The Dathomarian frowned, resisting the urge not to flinch. 'I sense your hatred for Dooku, it strengthens you, gives you a need to survive. Release it now, and take your revenge on him!' The hooded man ordered her. It was a provocation that Ventress fell for, as she ran into him with her blades aiming for his hips. The blades were blocked easily by two light-sabre blades, one yellow, and the other purple. Ventress was surprised that Dooku allowed the man to keep his blades those colours, as she originally had green and blue light-sabres. As she pulled out and swung in for another attack, two more of the same colours appeared, but from the same blades.

'Impossible!' She shouted as she jumped back trying to calculate the chances of someone carrying two sabre-staffs. The man laughed again, cutting his robes off of him. As they fell to the ground, the attacker revealed his face. He was a Besalisk, middle aged by the looks of it. The smile on his face sent the same shiver down her back, just like his laughter. Ventress knew her chances were slim. If this guy was any good with those things then she wouldn't be able to do anything to improve her chances. Cutting the hilts would just give him four blades, making him a Grievous style fighter. Her opponent spun his two staffs towards Ventress, making cuts in the ground. Finally, they clashed blades, the Besalisk making it clear that he wasn't going to make it easy for her. Every time Ventress blocked one of his blades, he would turn the hilts around and attack with the other side. Ventress kept stepping back a she struck at the Besalisk, his blows completely overpowering her. She jumped over her opponent, hoping to cut at his back, but the man blocked her again with ease, this time ending the duel.

After blocking Ventress' attack at his back, he disarmed her, the blades sheathing instantly. As soon as she realised what had happened, Ventress had been pushed back onto a wall from the Besalisk's force power. She could feel his power in the force grow as her inevitability grew closer. Ventress accepted her fate, and dropped to her knees.

…

Krell laughed as Ventress fell onto the ground, knowing that she was defeated. She had fought well for someone who was out matched in every way. The only time she could have gained an advantage is if she had seen him coming and had attacked as soon as he had landed; but because of the shear surprise of the attack she couldn't. It had taken Krell ages to track Ventress down, and for all that it was worth, the fight wasn't as good as he expected. He sheathed his left light-sabre and walked towards his target, tutting her as she stayed in the same position.

'Tsk, tsk, Ventress, I expected more from the former apprentice of Count Dooku.' He mocked, his right light-sabre ready to strike at her if she made a move. 'But at least you've helped me prepare for the day he betrays me. And because of that, you shall die knowing that Dooku will too. By my hand if it comes to it.' To Krell's surprise Ventress took her helmet off and looked up at him, smiling, yet also crying. She stuttered for a while, before simply saying: 'Make it hurt.' She then lowered her head, and waited for her to die

After that, Krell made the killing blow, cutting at the back of her neck, the head rolling off her body and the rest of her body collapsing. Krell felt his power grow, the world around him becoming silent

Asajj Ventress, was finally dead.


	3. Chapter 3

21 BBY. Hyperspace

Krell had moved on swiftly after killing Ventress, believing that he and Dooku would not be the only people who would have felt her recent death. It was only when he got back on _The Twelve Point_ where he really started to revel in his new strength in the force. After leaving Coruscant behind and activated the hyper-drive, Krell began to meditate on what he felt. The force moved around him like a wind on Tatooine, cold, yet relaxing. Krell could see his vision again, the same one he had on Umbara, but clearer than before. Before, Krell had just seen the Jedi temple in ruins, and a hooded figure in the seat of the Senator's, announcing to the Senate that the Republic would be rearranged into a Galactic Empire. He saw this again, but afterwards, he saw something new. The Jedi Temple was burning. Krell focused, trying to find the cause of this future burning temple. Instead, the vision showed another new part. It was dark, but Krell could hear the humming of two light-sabers. They made the sounds of clashing together, and then, one made the hissing noise of it being sheathed, before a breath outward. Finally a cry of unfamiliar laughter rung through Krell's ears before the vision ended. He opened his eyes, wondering what the meaning of this vision was. The Republic was going to become an Empire, that he was sure about, the same with the Jedi temple burning shortly afterwards, but the last part? Was there to be a final fight with another Jedi? Who would be victorious?

 _'Wait and see.'_ Krell thought to himself. _'The force will guide my destiny until I see these events, and then I will be Sith.'_

 _The Twelve Point_ came out of Hyperspace two hours later, arriving in the Umbara system again. Krell was about to contact the C.I.S. ship, when he received a call from them. When he activated it, Count Dooku's figure appeared on the Holo-projector, with him applauding Krell. He nodded in appreciation, allowing him to speak first.

'I congratulate you Master Krell, I sensed Ventress's death from across the galaxy. It fills my heart with joy to know that she is gone and I will never have to see her again. Did you retrieve her light-sabers?' The old Sith said. Krell took the blade hilts from the back of his belt and presented them to the hologram, complimenting them with a simple 'I did.' Dooku nodded and continued.

'I cannot allow an apprenticeship with you as it is no longer the way of the Sith, but there are others like you, acolytes that fight the battles that I cannot. You will serve me as one of these. If you do well, you will be rewarded with credits and other pleasures, but not training. You will have to figure that out on your own.'

'As you say my lord, I will serve the separatists until the war is won.' Krell replied, hoping to please the old man. It didn't seem to work however, as he scowled at this comment.

'Come aboard my ship and return the blades to me. The credits I promised you will be awarded along with a communicator, which will allow you to contact me from wherever you are.' Dooku continued, slightly giving away his regret to allowing Krell to become a part of his order. Krell pretended not to notice, but noted not to look like he was an apprentice. Just serve as an acolyte and try to find Sith artefacts he could use to improve his force power.

 _The Twelve Point_ landed on Dooku's ship and met him on the landing bay, strangely alone. Krell didn't bother to ask questions and handed the old man Ventress's light-saber hilts, and was compensated for them largely. Dooku told him to await instructions on his ship, and to use the power enhancement from killing Ventress to find a Sith artefact that teaches force lightning. Krell was happy with this arrangement, and returned to his ship with the knowledge of where this artefact could be.

…

After searching 5 outer-rim planets with no success, he found an old temple that had probably been abandoned sometime during the Old Republic, most likely after some Sith or Jedi awoke a beast in there. It didn't matter though, as Krell simply forced the collapsed rocks aside, creating a permanent entrance and exit to the old temple. Krell ignited one side of his sabre-staff to light the way, as the temple's light sources had been untouched for centuries. After exploring the tombs for about an hour, Krell noticed the entrance to the main temple was not only blocked, but locked. Krell swore under his breath and went back through the other tombs, trying to whatever he needed to open the door to the temple. Another half an hour passed, in which Krell found nothing but old training droids and dead explorers.

Krell was beginning to lose patience, which was a hard thing for him to do. He craved this power, to fire the force from his fingers, and didn't care for the consequences. He would complete his destiny, and become Sith. He would become Sith and crush all of those who got in his way! Krell felt a new power in the force that he hadn't felt before as his pacing began to slow. He embraced it, clenching both the fists of his top arms and the bottom. He sheathed his lightsaber and closed his eyes for a moment, before releasing his clenched fists and opening his eyes and calling upon the force, firing a spurt of lightning from all four of his hands. Proud at his achievement, he concentrated and aimed his hands at the blocked door. The spurt of lightning finished, and Krell lowered his arms, panting slightly from all of the energy he had just released.

The Besalisk looked up at the door to see that it hadn't moved slightly. He swore again, slamming his top right fist against the wall. He was enraged now, and could feel his strength in the force increasing once again. Again, a spurt of force lightning came out of his fingertips, but it was stronger. As if the force had seen his failure and given him another chance at it. When the spurt ended again, the floor around him began to shake, the door along with it. Clearly, it had been sealed for centuries, and whatever was in there was clearly powerful in the Dark side, he could feel it in his bones. Krell entered the room slowly, cautious of what could be in front of him. He embraced the coldness and continued down the path.

Soon enough, he was in the actual temple, and could see why it was blocked off. The skeletons of multiple Rancors were all over, two of them on top of each other, clearly having died during a fight between them. He scanned the room for any traps, but could not locate anything truly threatening. Smiling, he walked passed the bones of the old beasts, proud that he was soon to learn the powers of the Dark Side from a Sith Lord of the Old Republic. The holocron he craved was at the top of a stretch of stairs, in the closed palm of what looked like a pure blooded Sith. He climbed them quickly and took it from the dead Lord's hand, then activated it. The cube spun in his top right hand, hovering above his palm and slowly the corners parted and revealed the orb in the middle, red tinted glass around it. The ball began to glow, and then it emitted a hologram of the Sith lord that created it.

"My name is Darth Conqen, Lord of Sith Sorcery at the Korriban Sith academy. If you are seeing this Holocron, you are either a student at the academy with permission to see this holocron, or my Apprentice, Lord Retxab has stolen my teachings for himself, and you are learning from him. If it is the latter, beware, for these teachings are powerful and not for a mere acolyte of the Sith. One should know the code off by heart before delving any deeper into them. If you do not, you are unworthy of my time."

Krell scoffed. He had studied the codes of the Sith, and admired their ferocity in it. The hologram continued to ramble

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. That is our code, that is what it means, to be Sith."

Krell smiled once again, and deactivated the Holocron, then placed it on his belt.

He a lot of work to do.

 **A/N**

 **I apologize for not updating this sooner, but writer's block caught up with me over the summer and once that ended school began once more. Expect updates, but not as frequent as I may have promised. I do have a large plan for this story, and will be splitting it up into a larger AU. This will go on until it's version of ROTJ, which I'm figuring out now. Trust me though, it's gonna take a while to get there. For now however, enjoy my other stuff, and Review if you have time for it. I'd love positive feedback or constructive criticism.**


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